<The last time I believed that I nearly killed five billion people fighting Mhalir and it turns out that actually the right call would have been to stop fighting Mhalir.>

<The right call would have been for our father to be alive and he would've figured out the morph thing and then we could've safely interacted with Mhalir and talked it out.>

<I am not our father and I have to keep trying with just what I've got and no ability to invent anymore and I want you to go tell them Mhalir is dead because I think you understand what that means and I don't trust anyone else to.>

<They might kill me>

<Leareth'll be there>

<Oh.>

He sounds almost disappointed. 

<Sure. Why not.>

<Thank you.>

<He said yes> he says to Leareth, tiredly.

<Thank you.> Leareth sounds just as tired. 

And: <Cayaldwin? I am going to Gate over to Mhalir's base, can you meet me at the usual threshold.>

Not the permanent Gate terminus, but there's a doorway he often uses, so it's 'primed' for Gate-energies already, and there's a generator conveniently reachable from it. At some point he should get a permanent Gate network up throughout Earth, but that involves negotiations with the Earth governments and figuring out security protocols and it hasn't happened yet. 

Leareth reaches the archway within a minute and starts raising his Gate. No point in delaying even though he really, really, really wants to, in that moment. 

He has to tell Amanda... 

Cayaldwin walks over to the archway. He doesn't say anything.

Leareth has nothing in particular to say either. His body language is, as usual, actually more expressive in Andalite form; he looks exhausted and in pain and resigned. 

The Gate goes up and he crosses. Their visit is unannounced, but Mhalir's lieutenant should recognize the Andalite morph, and just in case Leareth immediately Mindspeaks everyone in the room and adjacent rooms to confirm his identity, he finds that easier than using thoughtspeech with non-Andalites.

:We have serious news: he adds, and then stops, waiting. 

- they turn around and watch him tensely.

Leareth turns both his stalks toward Cayaldwin. He feels kind of dizzy, not quite in a physical way. <Were you going to tell them...?> he prompts. 

<Alloran murdered Mhalir.>

He was maybe going to explain more than that. But he doesn't.

Their first visible reaction is mostly scared. No one immediately asks anything. 

"Who are you," Mhalir's lieutenant says, after a moment. 

<I am Cayaldwin-Hashal-Firayar. I was - doing research with him ->

"We want the murderer extradited."

<Matirin is on some kind of stupid 'I've never heard of game theory what if we just declare at every moment that this is a good place to stop all the retribution' kick.>

- this is not exactly the response she expected and she takes a moment just trying to parse it.

:None of you are in danger: Leareth says after the silence stretches out a bit. :We - ought have prevented this, and we failed - but he did not have other targets among the Yeerks, and in any case he is not permitted to return to Earth and we have Thoughtsensers checking everyone who crosses the Gate: At some point they need to figure out what Alloran did to get around the Gate-security, but probably he just obtained, perhaps stole, codes from someone and then morphed them, lots of Andalites go around in morph as themselves-with-Gifts all the time and they weren't weren't reading minds before.

:This is new territory for the intersection of our legal systems: he adds. :An Andalite criminal, a Yeerk victim, on Earth but within an Andalite base. I think it makes sense for - whoever is replacing Mhalir in command - and for an expert on Yeerk law: such as it is, they've barely scratched the edges of hammering out an internal legal system that's workable in the new conditions, :to meet with Matirin and perhaps a United States legal representative if we think the country where it happened has any jurisdiction, and discuss how to handle the trial and punishment here. I have not yet spoken with Matirin about it: 

Arguably it should really be Nerefir, as the Andalite in command on Earth at the time, but at the very least Leareth wants Matirin there too. 

"How - did this happen."

:Alloran returned to the Andalite homeworld six months ago, obtained the Gift morph and acquired Herald-Mage Vanyel - likely on his state visit there. He taught himself quite advanced magic on his own, in secret. Looking back, I believe he stole a book from Vanyel while briefly residing on the base, perhaps more than one. He found out when I would be transferring Mhalir over to Cayaldwin, which we were doing behind thorough shields. He managed to dismantle the layer of shielding against the Fetching Gift and replace it with his own identical one, without disturbing anything else or triggering any of the wards against tampering, and then he was able to Fetch Mhalir out of my hand, from almost a mile away, when I was giving him to Cayaldwin. We found and reached him within seconds but - not fast enough: 

"With all due respect, that seems unlikely. I wonder if he had some help."

:I expect he had help on some aspects, such as the Gift practice and sneaking across the Gate. There will be an investigation on the homeworld to determine that, I think. That being said, I do not at all think it beyond his capabilities to draw up such a plan on his own. He is very competent, one does not rise to his previous military rank without that, and - he knew rather well how Mhalir thought: 

"You really think the Andalites are going to do a thorough investigation? Of the murder of Mhalir?"

:I think some would try, yes. Others will - not try, or might even obstruct it. However, if they do not investigate to my satisfaction, I can refuse to finish their space Gate, or recall all my mages who are teaching Gift-lessons, or several other things. I have a substantial amount of leverage here: 

Leareth wonders what Cayaldwin thinks about the not-at-all-veiled threat.